1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a meat slicer including a circular blade which is rotatable in a fixed position and a meat box carrying a lump of meat within it. The meat box is reciprocally movable to and away from the circular blade so that, during each reciprocal motion of the meat box, a slice of meat, which is several millimeters thick and which is suitable for eating, may be cut from the lump of meat by the circular blade. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a safety device in such a meat slicer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, a conventional meat slicer includes a circular blade 2 rotatably supported at one end of a table 1, and a meat box 4 which is reciprocally movable by a crank or the like to and away from the circular blade 2 along rails 3. The meat box 4 is provided with a meat feed roller 5 adapted to feed out a lump of meat 6 during each reciprocal motion of the meat box 4 to enable the blade 3 to cut a slice of meat from the lump of meat 6. A holding plate 7 is secured by a guide block 8 to the table 1 adjacent to the circular blade 2. The holding plate 7 controls the slice thickness and functions as a cover for the circular blade 2. A screw 9 is rotatably secured to the holding plate 7. The screw is not removable axially, and it supports the holding plate 7 in the direction in which the meat is fed. The slicer also includes a base 10, a slice receiving plate 11 and a main switch 12.
The slicer includes a safety device which disables the rotation of the circular blade when the holding plate 7 has been removed from the guide block 8 for inspecting and repairing the slicer. The safety device comprises a safety bar 13 having one end projecting outward from the table 1. The safety bar 13 is maintained in abutment against the holding plate 7, and the other or inner end of the bar 13 is engaged with a switch L for controlling the driving circuit of the slicer. The safety bar 13 keeps the switch L in its ON position as long as the holding plate 7 is in position, as shown in FIG. 3. If the holding plate 7 is removed, the bar 13 projects further outward due to the force of a spring 14, and the inner end of the bar 13 is disengaged from the switch L so that the switch L may be turned off. The safety device, however, fails to work properly if someone or something, such as a meat tray, is brought into contact with the outer end of the bar 13. In addition, if meat dust or the like gathers and disables the smooth movement of the bar 13, the bar 13 is not able to move and be disengaged from the switch L, despite the presence of the spring 14. In both these situations, the safety device fails to operate which results in a dangerous situation. In this situation, the operator may inadvertently turn on the main switch without knowing that the switch L is in its ON position.